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Keys to History

The first Quebec-built velocipede (as early bicycles were called) was made in Quebec City in 1868. It was a very expensive vehicle, priced at about $100 - a fortune in those days! - but that didn't dampen the enthusiasm of the elite. Between 1868 and 1871, velocipede races and velocipede ice races drew crowds of up to 5,000 people for a single event! These popular activities encouraged behaviour that high-minded citizens found immoral. Seizing every opportunity, they denounced the consumption of alcohol and the betting that went on at these events. The velocipede race craze was brief, dying out after just two years. Betting, however, lived on and flourished at horse races.